Caffeine and
Sleeping Patterns: Is that cup of coffee really helping you to be more
efficient?

Ellie Conser

10/5/2009

Students use caffeine to stay awake,
complete their work, and study, in hopes of achieving academic success. Busy
adults use caffeine for that extra “boost” in the morning, to help them get
through the day and be productive. People consume caffeine in order to alter
their body’s natural need for sleep, often without regard to the consequences
it has on their sleeping patterns, and in turn, their daily function and
overall health.

Caffeine

Caffeine
is a type of drug called a stimulant, found in coffee, tea, many soft drinks,
and chocolate. It affects the nervous system, altering chemical reactions in
the brain, causing those who consume it to feel more energetic, alert, and
productive. Physical symptoms experienced by those who use it include an
increased heart rate, muscle tremors, headaches, and difficulty sleeping. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071130153536.htm).

It
causes chemical reactions that:

-Increase dopamine levels, resulting
in a pleasurable feeling.

-Block adenosine absorption.
Adenosine is usually absorbed by receptors in the brain and causes sleepiness
by slowing down nerve cell activity. When these receptors are blocked, a
person does not experience these sleepy feelings, and nerve cell activity
increases.

Sleep
is essential for healthy functioning and occurs in several stages or patterns.
When a person falls asleep, their brainwave patterns slow down. As the
brainwave patterns get slower, sleep gets deeper. The two slower brainwave
patterns include theta waves and delta waves, which are followed by a period of
REM (Rapid Eye Movement), in which brainwaves speed up to nearly awake levels.
REM is the period in which individuals experience muscle twitching, a back and
forth movement of the eyes, and dreams. During a restful night’s sleep, a
person receives both REM and NREM (Non-REM) sleep, and experiences between 3
and 5 REM cycles.

Sleep
deprivation occurs when an individual does not get enough sleep, or when the
quality of their sleep is poor. Immediate consequences of sleep deprivation
include decreased attention and alertness, memory problems, clumsiness, and
injury (including car accidents). The results of long-term sleep deprivation
include depression, heart problems, obesity, high blood pressure, and memory
loss. (http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/important-sleep-habits)

Caffeine and sleeping patterns

Various
online, health-related sources seem to agree that caffeine causes disruption of
sleep patterns, sleep deprivation, insomnia, and fatigue. Consuming caffeine
has been said to delay sleep onset, reduce total sleep time, alter normal
stages of sleep, and to decrease the overall quality of a person’s sleep. The
extent of these alterations depends on the time of day the caffeine is consumed,
the amount consumed, and an individual’s sensitivity to caffeine. These
health-related sources aim to inform those interested or concerned as to how
caffeine impacts one’s health and sleep, and to guide them in making beneficial
health choices.

Various
distributors of caffeinated products proclaim its beneficial effects without
accounting for its consequences past initial consumption. 5-Hour Energy claims
to provide “Hours of energy now…[and] no crash later” (http://www.5hourenergy.com), while Red Bull’s website says
that, “Caffeine is known for its beneficial effects on mental and physical
functions. It has been shown to improve… reaction speed, alertness and
concentration” (http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Red-Bull.com/Products/011242745950125). Companies like Red Bull and 5-Hour Energy are
presenting this information only to further the success of their companies and
to encourage consumption of their product. They do not provide any
testimonials, studies, statistics, or evidence that their products are without
problems.

Scientific Research and Studies on the Topic

Numerous
studies have been completed, and numerous papers compiled, in order to analyze the
effects of caffeine on sleep and sleeping patterns. The resulting information
provides a scientific explanation of how caffeine impacts the body, including
how it affects sleeping patterns and overall health.

A
study done by Paterson (2009) sought to determine the effects of caffeine on
sleep patterns in rats, aiming to apply the results to human behavior. Results
from the study indicated that caffeinated rats experienced a much lower quality
of sleep; although they experienced the same number of sleep cycles, the
relative lengths of these stages was unfavorable. Consumption of caffeine
resulted in a reduced delta power sleep, less time in NREM, more time awake,
and an overall less productive sleep. Results from this study also determined
the effects of caffeine on sleep to be dose dependent, meaning that the more
caffeine a rat consumed, the stronger the alteration of their sleep.

A
paper written by Pollack (2003) provided similar results, concluding that
consuming greater amounts of caffeine leads to shorter sleep duration, longer
awake time, and increased sleep during the day, or napping, in adolescents. The
paper stated that caffeine changes “the temporal organization of slow-wave and
rapid eye movement sleep”, and is so disruptive to sleeping patterns that it is
often used to model insomnia in healthy individuals. Pollack also drew
associations between regular consumption and tolerance or dependence, which
often results in a type of physical and mental withdrawal in the absence of
consumption. Unlike the study conducted by Paterson, however, Pollack
concluded that caffeine can have positive or negative effects in terms of
health, behavior, and mental state, depending on the individual, the quantity
consumed, and the duration of consumption.

Not
only does caffeine consumption have negative consequences for adults and adolescents,
but also negatively impacts children. In a paper written by Mindel (2009),
caffeine was determined (once again) to delay the onset of sleep, and to cause
a shorter sleep duration and poorer quality of sleep in children aged 0-10.
Because sleep is the time in which body restoration and growth occurs, the
effects of caffeine consumption at a young age are especially problematic, in
that a person’s younger years are most critical to their growth and
development. Caffeine intake should be monitored cautiously, especially at
young ages.

Should you consume caffeine?

As
in making any decision, an individual should weigh the benefits and
consequences, keeping in mind that everything is okay in moderation. Although
caffeine provides the consumer the immediate satisfaction of feeling more
energized and motivated by stimulating brain activity, this brain stimulation
carries over, undesirably, into sleep. Caffeine disrupts normal sleeping
patterns, allowing the consumer to stay awake longer by sacrificing the
duration and quality of their deep sleep. Poor sleep prevents the body from
being fully restored; leaving a person to feel fatigued the following day.
This can in turn cause them to reach for another cup of coffee, and place them
in a negative health pattern. Drinking a cup of coffee every once in a while,
when needed, can be beneficial to productivity, and will not affect a person’s
overall health. Regular consumption, however, can be detrimental when it
results in tolerance or dependence, leaving an individual in a state of
less-than-perfect health. In order to experience good health, individuals
should make efficient use of their time and get an adequate amount of sleep, dealing
with the reasons behind their use of caffeine, instead of depending on a
stimulant, or drug, to give them a short term solution, or “pick me up”.